Topic: Yet another base? oh hell

[onion]

Before you dismiss this out of hand, I know you are probably all sighing at yet another base recipe to appear, with nothing that unique in the ingredients, but have you tried this combination and method?  I urge you give it a go.

This base gives a good balanced full flavour, nothing is overpowering yet the aroma is wonderful. It has few ingredients and takes no more than two hours to make. The addition of the water at the second stage gives a good consistency and texture to the gravy.


New Base

3 large onions
4 fresh tomatoes quartered or 200 g tinned
2 medium sized potatoes quartered
3 carrots chopped
1 small green pepper chopped
1 small red pepper chopped
6 broccoli florets
6 cauliflower florets
2 dessertspoons Kasoori Methi
Small bunch fresh coriander
1 dessertspoon ginger garlic paste
2 dessertspoons Rajah mild madras curry powder
1 teaspoon Turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
1 dessertspoon sugar
1 pint oil
2 cups water
3 pints of water for second stage

Put everything in a large saucepan or stockpot and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes without stirring. Allow this to cool and blend to absolute smoothness.

Second stage

Return to the saucepan and add 3 pints of water, simmer for 40 minutes, don?t remove the froth.
Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight.

[Razor]

Hi Onion,

Interesting looking base, potatoes, cauli's and broccoli?

How did you come by it, is it your own work or did you get it from another source?

Ray

[George]

nothing that unique in the ingredients

I'm not knocking it, and it might taste great but how can you say there's 'nothing unique' when it contains cauliflower, broccoli, etc?

[onion]

Hi Onion,

Interesting looking base, potatoes, cauli's and broccoli?

How did you come by it, is it your own work or did you get it from another source?

Ray

Hi Ray

It's my own recipe, I have been trying tons of combinations over a very very long time.

Cheers

[onion]

nothing that unique in the ingredients

I'm not knocking it, and it might taste great but how can you say there's 'nothing unique' when it contains cauliflower, broccoli, etc?

Hi George

If can explain a little how I came to this recipe.

I noticed that in some of the curry's especially the milder ones the gravy had a background flavour of some sort of vegetable, especially in the Bombay aloo and I could not quite get to the point of identifying it, so I started to play around using different things in the base. Eventually I made this last Saturday and I think it's about there.

What I meant though was that none of the ingredients are unique to us, but this combination in a base is different, the biggest hit on the aroma was the addition of Methi, first of all I added far too much, and with each base thereafter I reduced it until I ended up with a base that tasted just right, for me anyway, as I said a good flavour, nothing dominating anything else. It was at the point when the finished base had not lost any of the smell or taste after the second stage, previously some of the bases I had tried smelled great when cooking, however, once they had been blended etc that smell had gone.

So I just thought I would share it with everyone.

Cheers

Martin

[guitarmanguitar]

Hello Martin,

I'm certainly gonna give it a go.
Thanks for posting it.

When I make my curry with it.
What spice mix ( or whose) would you suggest I use?

CArl...

[onion]

Hello Martin,

I'm certainly gonna give it a go.
Thanks for posting it.

When I make my curry with it.
What spice mix ( or whose) would you suggest I use?

CArl...

Hi

I don't use a spice mix as such, my usual curry is a king prawn madras and I like to keep it quite simple in the use of spices, here my recipe:

1 Teaspoon cumin
1 Teaspoon Pure chilli powder
1 generous desert spoon ginger garlic paste
1 desert spoon tomato puree that has been watered down to the consistency of loose ketchup
Juice of ? a lemon
? Teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Raw king Prawns (as many as you want)
5 tablespoons oil
1 Teaspoon Kasoori Methi
Chopped coriander
Some base sauce

Method:
Heat oil in pan, add ginger garlic paste and fry briskly, add the tomato puree and do the same. Add the prawns, cumin and chilli powder and fry until the prawns change colour. If it gets too hot add a ladle of base. The oil will be separating from the sauce, add more base sauce and stir, add the salt and sugar and stir, add the methi . Add more base as you like, just allow it to reduce to your liking, finally, add the lemon juice and coriander, let it bubble , the oil will begin to separate. Then remove from the heat and cover, allow it to rest for ten minutes before serving.


Let me know how it goes.

Martin

[guitarmanguitar]

Thank you Martin.

In your first post, when preparing the first part of your base sauce.
You specify not to stir the mixture.
Is this important, & if so why?

CArl...

[onion]

Thank you Martin.

In your first post, when preparing the first part of your base sauce.
You specify not to stir the mixture.
Is this important, & if so why?

CArl...

Hi CArl

In my opinion it is, the onions sit at the bottom in the oil, they seem to gently fry almost, sounds daft I know. Also I put the spices near the top before I put in the 2 cups of water, I want the spices to gently cook and disperse in the base as it's simmering rather than being murdered in the oil. You will notice that when the first stage is finished all of the oil will be at the top and all of the veg etc will be below it almost. The short cooking time ensures that the vegetables are not overcooked retaining their full flavour.

I hope this helps and I appreciate you trying this.

Martin

[guitarmanguitar]

Thanks Martin,

Gonna give it a go tomorrow, just got all the ingriedients in, so I'll give an honest opinion on Monday.

CArl...